Insecticide applicator



April 23, 1935. J. L CLARK El AL 1,999,123

INSECTI CIDE APPLI CATOR Filed Oct. 16, 1933 2 Sheets-Sheet l gwwwmsJesse L. Clark,

em on Jfl'anyield,

J. LqCLARK El AL INSECTICIDES APPLICATOR April! 23, 1935.

Filed 001;. 16, 1933 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 m Jiw La @iwwfim Patented Apr. 23,1935 Ohio, assignors to'Dr.

Hess 55 Clark, Inc, Ashland, Ohio, a corporation of Ghio 7 ApplicationOctober 16, 1933, Serial No. 693,876

20 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in the apparatus for applyingliquid insecticide to domestic animals, disclosedin our copendingapplication Serial Number 653,914, filed January Practical use of theformer apparatus has shown that if the liquid insecticide is fed to theapplicator at a sufiiciently large proportionate rate to assure anadequate dose for a great number of animals, liquid'will drip from thelower edge of the blanket and be wasted unless the animals pass throughat regularly recurrent intervals' Since the animals pass through theapparatus at irregular intervals, and there may be long periods or" timethat the applicator is idle, but nevertheless, is being fed at aconstant rate, the liquid will accumulate at the" lower edge of theapplicator and tend todrip. An object of the 'present invention is toprovide means in the lower edge of the applicator to collect theaccumulating liquid not removed by an animal and prevent its drip.

It is-further apparent that if the liquid is sup-'- plied to theapplicator at such a rate, based upon the total number of animals to betreated, as to insure "an adequate dose to each animal,

this dose must be present at the lower edge of the applicator fordistribution to the animal, Whether the animal passes under theapparatus immediately after, or along time after, a preceding one. Ifthe accumulating liquid is col.- lected in the lower edge of the blanketin such a manner as to be inaccessible for further use, it is apparentthat the animal will not receive its proper dose, the same as if thatliquid had been lost by dripping from the blanket. It is an object ofthis invention to provide means for feeding liquid from the collectingmeans at the bottom of the applicator back to the applicator, as thesaturation of the lower edge is decreased by passing animals. 1

It has further been found that the use of a sheet applicator of looselywoven material for the purpose of increasing its capillarity, results inincreased wear on the applicator, particularly when-horned animals aretreated, due to penetration of the horns through the applicator; Anobject of the present invention is to provide 50 the applicator withpenetration and wear resisting means.

Another object 'of the invention is to simplify the construction of theapparatus while increasing its adaptability to a wider range of:conditions.

This involvesamong other features,

means for supporting and stressing the applicator.

Further objects will appear from the following description whenconsidered in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a front elevation of an apparatus embodying theimprovements.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the apparatus.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary enlarged View of a lower portion of theapplicator, parts thereof being broken away.

Fig. 4 is a section on the line tl of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a section on the line 5-5 of Fig. 1.

Fig 6 is a plan view of the outer portion of the shelf taken on the lineiM-B of Fig. 1.

The hanging applicator l l positioned in the opening between the sideframe bars 6 is longitudinally plicated, preferably to form a box plait.The upper portion of the applicator is looped over the cross rod 26 fromwhich the applicator descends into the pan 2% supplied with liquid in-'ecticide from the containers 28. The level of insecticide in pan ismaintained constantby reason of the fact that the containers 28 haveeach a single opening (not shown), opening into pan 2% and which becomesealed against air by the liquid which has run into pan 2 3. Aifixed tothe vertical sides of the applicator are bands, or ropes, 52.

To support the applicator, the shelf, or cross plate, extending betweenthe bars 6 and carrying the pan 2%, is widened and the applicatorisafilxed to' its forward vertical edge. It will thus be seen that thisshelf serves the two-fold purpose of sup-porting both the applicator andits source of liquid supply.

Fastening members, as the screws l3 disposed at various points acrossthe width of the applicator, secure the applicator to the shelf. Asshown, these screws extend through a cross bar l and spacer blocks 8,the spacer blocks preventing such excessive compression of the majorportion of the applicator between the bar and the shelf as would retardthe passage of liquid. The upper edges 9 of the blocks 8 lie below thetop of the shelf and are bevelled to: minimize their obstructing effect.This grip upon the applicator across its width insures retention of itslower edge in a horizontal plane and prevents sag, and consequentprobability of drip. Furthermore, the clamping action retains the'boxplait formation of the applicator. The ropes l2 also pass between thebar 1 and shelf and have enlargements as knots 2i bearing against theseclamping members to insure that the pull exsurfaces within the folds.

erted upon the applicator by a passing animal does not dislodge theapplicator.

The applicator is fed from the pan 2% by capillary attraction. The rateat which liquid is fed from pan 2- 1 to the applicator can be controlledby varying the vertical distance between the level of the insecticide inpan 24 and the rod 20. As the rod is lowered more insecticide isdelivered to the applicator. The rod 29 may conveniently be supported byvertically spaced holes 23 in the bars 6.

It is desirable that the, stressing means, here shown as weights ill, bespaced from possible contact with an animal'passing through the ap'paratus, and in some installationsit is impera-.

tive that these weights be'above the ground level due to concreteflooring. According to the arrangement shown, the weights are disposedlaterally of the apparatus and outside the passageway, the force exertedby these weights being transmitted to the applicator by the ropes 86.These ropes it may be continuations of the ropes E2, or may be attachedto the ropes 2 at the lower corners of the blanket, as shown. Theintermediate parts of the ropes, between the weights and the applicator,are guided by sheaves 58 below the applicator and spaced closer togetherthan the greatest width of the animal, and by sheaves it carried at anelevated point of the frame and in the path of the desired movement ofthe weights. By spacing sheaves i8 closer together than the greatestwidth of the animal to be treated, the lower corners of the applicatorwill be brought inwardly under the sides of the animal. When the plaitof the applicator is opened out by the passage of the animal thereunderthe applicator consequently encircles a major portion of its body. Thesheaves it are carried in swivel blocks, which permit of free turning ineither direction as the animal passes through the opening in eitherdirection. lhe eyes of these swivel blocks are secured to the brackets26 by U bolts 22 to permit swinging movement of the blocks in a verticalplane and thereby to permit automatic adjustment of the sheaves to thewidth of the animal as the animal passes through.

To protect the lower portion of the applicator against penetration bythe horns of theanimals,

a sheet of wear resisting material, as canvas 55 may be attached to theapplicator. As best shown in Fig. 5, the canvas extending across theouter side of the box plait may terminate'at the end folds while thecanvas extending across the inner side of the box plait continues nearlyacross the entire width of the apphcator. In this manner, both sides ofthe applicator initially contacted by an animal are protected, as wellas the The lower edge of the canvas material terminates above the loweredge of the applicator to present an exposed portion 2% of theapplicator for direct contact with an animal.

Within the lower hemmed edge of the applicator is placed a reservoirextending across the en tire width of the blanket. Preferably thereservoir is in sections 3!, each lying in a straight portion of theplicated applicator, as-shown in Fig. 5, to leave the curved portionsfree to flex. Each reservoir is of flexible material, impervious toliquid at its bottom portion 32, but may be .pervious to liquid'at itsupper portion 33 for a purpose to be described. Capillary material 34lying within the reservoir extends exterior thereof into contact withthe applicator.

To deliver liquid descending in the applicator to the reservoir,capillary material as yarn rope 35 may be attached to the applicator bybeing looped therethrough at a point above the reser-- voir, and maydepend within the reservoir. This yarn acts as a wick to divert liquidfrom passing to the lower edge of the applicator where it wouldaccumulate to such an extent as to result in dripping. Liquid descendingin the portion of the blanket lying above the gap between adjacentreservoirs is conveyed to the reservoirs by a number of wick elementsrelatively closely spaced together, as shown at 36. The upper loopedportions of these closely spaced wicks may slightly overlap to insurethat dripping will not occur at the applicator below these points.

Liquid retained in the reservoir is returned to the applicatorthroughthe pervious portion of its wall at 33. If liquid is removed fromthe bottom edge of the applicator, as by delivery to an animal, thereduction in' the saturation of the applicator will result in passage ofliquid from the reservoir to the applicatorthrough the pervious portionof the wall at 33. Also, becauseoi and the extruding portion contactingwith the.

applicator serves the purpose of capillary material 34. g

Where but a few because of the small amount of liquid supplied to theapplicator. ten or more animals are to be treated, the quantity ofliquid delivered to the blanket due to lowering of the rod 2%, willresult in, dripping from the lower edge of the blanket, unlesstheanimals pass through at regular intervals and'remove the liquidasfast as it accumulates,"or unless a reservoir retains the unused liquidand delivers it to the applicator asldemanded. The

reservoir acts as an intermediary between the upper part of the blanketwhich is uniformly and constantly supplied with liquid, and the lowerWiping edge of the blanket from which the liquid is irregularlyremoved.A nice balance is obtainable; due to the presence of the reservoir,between the rate of supply of the liquid to the applicator and the totalnumber of animals to be treated, and the factor of uncertainty as towhen an animal will be treated, becomes unimportant, since it is assuredof its proper dose Whether it is the first one through aftertheapparatus has been idleior a long time, or whether,

it immediately follows'a'numbe'r of animals.

What we claim is: I

animals are to be treated daily, the reservoir may be found unnecessaryWhen, however, as many as V 1. An apparatus for the application ofliquidinsecticide to an animal, comprising a frame having an opening for thepassage of an animal, a

liquid applying sheet member supported at said opening to treat ananimal passing therethrough,

exerted by the stressing means to the sheet memher by attachment of therope members to the lower corners of the sheet member, and sheaves forguiding the rope members including sheaves disposed below the lowercorners of the sheet member and closer together than the distancebetween the lower corners, and sheaves disposed substantially in theline of action of the stressing means. i

2. Apparatus according to claim 1 in which the stressing means weightmembers located above the ground level and operating vertically alongthe outer side of the frame, and said last named sheaves are carried bythe frame at elevated points. 7

3. The combination with a sheet member for suspension in an apparatusfor applying liquid insecticide to an animal upon engagement of theanimal with the lower portion of the sheet member, of an imperviousreservoir at the applying end and immediately above the edge of thesheet member for carrying a localized body of the liquid and leaving theedge of the sheet member free to contact with an animal, said applyingend of the sheet member recei ing liquid from said impervious reservoir.

l. Th combination according to claim 3 in which capillary materialextendsfrom the interior of the reservoir to the exterior there-oi andinto contact with the sheet member.

5. The combination according to claim 3 in w ich capillary materialextends from the inte ior of the reservoir and in contact with theliquid therein, to the exterior of the reservoir into contact with theportion of the sheet member adjacent the reservoir to transfer liquidfrom the reservoir to the adjacent portion of the sheet member.

s. The combination according to claim 3 in which capillary materialextends from a point of connection with the sheet member above thereservoir, to within the reservoir to convey liquid from the sheetmember to the reservoir.

'2. The combination according to claim 3 in which the lower edge of theblanket is hemmed to retain and enclose the resevoir.

8. The combination according to claim 3 in which the sheet member isfolded across its wi th in the form of a box plait, and the reservoir isin sections, each section engaging a straight portion of the blanketleaving the curved portions of the plait free to flex.

9. The combination according to claim 3 in which the reservoir is inspaced sections extending across the width of the blanket, and capillarymaterial connected to the sheet member above the reservoir and betweenthe spaced reservoir sections, extends within the reservoir to conveythe liquid descending in the sheet member at that point to thereservoir.

16. The combination according to claim 3 in which the reservoir is offlexible material Whereby it may be compressed to expel the entrappedliquid.

ll. In an apparatus of the class described, a

rame having an opening for the passage of an animal, a sheet membersuspended across said opening and having its lower edge adapted todeliver insecticide to an animal passing through the opening, means forsupplying insecticide to the sheet member, and means carried by theframe for clamping the sheet member only at various points transverselythereof to. fix the sheet at said points While leaving the remainingportions of the sheet uncompressed for the free passage of liquid, thelower edge of the sheet member thereby being maintained at one levelthroughout.

12. In an apparatus of the class described, a frame having an openingfor the passage of an animal, a plicated reservoir extending across theopening in the path of the animal, means for stressing downwardly theends of said reservoir, said reservoir having a wall impervious toinsecticide to prevent-drip, and means connected with the reservoir tobecome saturated with the liquid therein and adapted to deliver liquidto passing animal.

13. In an apparatus of the class described, a frame having an openingfor the passage of an a plicated reservoir extending across the openingin the path of the animal, means for stressing downwardly the ends ofsaid reservoir,

aid reservoir having a Wall impervious to incticide to prevent drip, andmeans for engageent with an animal to deliver insecticide thereto, thereservoir having flexible walls to be pressed toward each other bycontact with a passing animal to expel the insecticide and supply it tothe means delivering it to the animal.

14. The combination with a sheet member for suspension in an apparatusfor applying liquid insecticide to an animal upon engagement of theanimal with the lower portion of the sheet member, of an imperviousreservoir at the lower edge of the sheet member carrying a localizedbody of the liquid, said reservoir being of sheep skin folded uponitself with the wool on the 15. The combination according to claim it inwhich a portion of thevvool extends exterior of the sheep skin reservoirand into contact with sheet member to convey liquid thereto fromreservoir.

6. An apparatus for he application of liquid insecticide to an animal,comprising a supporting frame, a combined liquid reservoir and sheetmember supporting shelf carried by the frame e he 1 at an elevatedpoint, a depending liquid applying sheet member supported at its upperportion by said shelf, and a liquid supply reservoir for the sheetmember carried by the shelf, said sheet member engaging with a verticaledge of the shelf and being secured against said edge by a stripextending across the width of the sheet member,,said strip being securedto the shelf by fastoning means passing through the sheet member.

17. An apparatus for the application of liquid insecticide to an animalcomprising a supporting frame, a combined liquid reservoir and sheetmember supporting shelf carried by the frame at an elevated point, adepending liquid applying sheet member supported at its upper portion bysaid shelf, and a liquid supply reservoir for the sheet member carriedby the shelf, said sheet member extending above its point of support bythe shelf and lying within said reservoir.

18. In an apparatus for the application of liquid insecticide to ananimal, a supporting frame, a liquid applying sheet member dependingfrom said frame, rope members amxed along the vertical sides of thesheet member, and clamping elem nts carried by said frame and grippingsaid sheet member and rope members to support ratus for applying liquidinsecticide to an animal upon engagement of the animal with the lowerportion of the sheet member, said sheet member comprising a liquidabsorbing and retaining portion of permeable material folded across itsidth to form a box plait, and flexible wear resisting materialprotecting the permeable material, the bottom of the wear resistingmaterial terminating above the bottom edge of the permeablematerial,whereby a saturated portion of the permeable material is exposed, andsaid wear resisting material being disposed to protect both outer sidesof the sheet member and the surfaces between the folds of the same.

20. The combination with a sheet member for suspension in an apparatusfor applying liquid" insecticide to an animal upon engagement of theanimal with the lower portion of the sheet member, of a reservoir at theapplyingend and immediately above the edge of the sheet member to the.

